When baby sleeps through the night, it is a beautiful thing for us parents. While I was pregnant, I did a ton of research and interviewed many Mommas to find out what worked for them. Our baby started sleeping through the night at 4 months old and has ever since. Though every baby is different, try these tips that worked well for me and my little one.
1. SOUND MACHINE Find a sound machine that plays ocean or nature sounds. We started playing it since we brought him home from the hospital. He was four days old. This helps the baby learn this soothing sound is safe and signals it is time to sleep. If the baby wakes up in the middle of the night, they hear the comforting sound, and go right back to sleep because they feel safe.
2. SWADDLE Swaddling is a great way to give your newborn the feeling of being in the womb. My husband was an expert swaddler, I must say. He spent many nights on YouTube researching the best swaddle to use. Since my son was strong & mighty he could break out of most swaddle styles. Until we found the one that worked. Also, the fabric has to be a little bit stretchy. I loved these Muslim swaddle blankets. Give it a try and keep trying different swaddle styles until you find the one that works for your little bundle.
3. PACIFIER We chose to use a pacifier, after much research and debate. It seemed more orthodontically correct for his teeth and growing jaw than thumb sucking. Also, you can wean and later remove the pacifier, but not so much for a thumb. It has been a great tool to comfort baby at night, unless it falls out of course! Then I am up giving it back to him. Once he was able to sit up & roll over on his own, he would magically find his pacifier when it fell out too!
4. DARK ROOM Keep a very dark room. Our son slept in the bassinet next to my bed until he was 4 months old. At that point he was sleeping through the night so we moved him into his own room. He swaddled for a few weeks more and then became too strong to stay in it. That was okay, though, because now he was in his own crib and could roll around and still be safe.
5. FILL BABY'S TUMMY Since I breastfed exclusively, my husband wanted some bonding time with our son as well. We decided early on to have him feed a big bottle of breast milk at night before bed. I was an over producer so I had lots of milk. I would also pump every night while they were feeding so I would have a fresh bottle for them the following night. This was a win-win all the way around. Putting the baby to bed on a full stomach is super important to having him sleep through the night. Win! My husband got to spend quality time with our son. Double win! And my boy got to fall right to sleep in Daddy's arms. Triple win! It was beautiful and was a very good plan for all of us.
Our son is 2 years old (as I write this) and has slept 12 hours a night (8:30 pm - 8:30 am) since we moved him into his own room at 4 months old. It has been a dream for my husband and I. We still get a chuckle out of how lucky we are to have such a wonderful boy. I am not sure if I gave birth to a super baby, or if all of this research has made the difference. I hope this helps you and your baby too. Please comment to let me know if these tips worked. Sweet dreams!